82 Woodcock in Red Wine

Name: Woodcock in Red Wine
Yield: For four people
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 generous tablespoons double cream; 50 g (1¾ oz) fresh or preserved foie gras; 4 thin slices of white bread cut into 5 cm (2 inches) diameter rounds with a pastry-cutter; 50 g (1¾ oz) butter; 4 tablespoons port; 4 tablespoons armagnac; 1 level tablespoon chopped shallot; 1 tablespoon armagnac; 320 ml (½ pint) red Bordeaux from the Pomerol district or Algerian red wine or Spanish red wine; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 4 woodcock, plucked but not drawn; salt and pepper; 4 good slices of lean streaky bacon for barding

Preparation info

For
four
people

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Cuisine Gourmande

By Michel Guérard

Published 1978

About

Bécasse au fumet de pomerol ‘The king of gamebirds’

Ingredients

Main ingredients

4 woodcock, plucked but not drawn
salt and pepper
4 good slices of lean streaky bacon

Europe
France
Main course
Mediterranean

Method

Preparing and cooking the woodcock

Pluck the woodcock just before cooking; it is not necessary to singe them, it’s a waste of time. Above all, do not draw them. The heads should be left on but the eyes must be removed. A woodcock is not trussed, its claws are entangled together, and the thighs held close to its sides by transfixing t